


say it to me now

by pdameron



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:39:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8405548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdameron/pseuds/pdameron
Summary: “The General is gonna have a documentary crew follow me around the base for a week - Jess, if you keep laughing at me, I’ll make them interview you every day they’re here.”(or: a documentary crew comes to D'Qar, and Finn and Poe become the Jim and Pam of the Resistance)





	

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to [gammadolpin ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gammadolphin/pseuds/gammadolphin) for being my beta yet again, you are the wind beneath my wings
> 
> this came from the mental image of poe mooning over finn and leia staring into the camera like she was on the office

Poe was seriously considering leaving the Resistance.

Well, not really, but he was feeling dramatic enough to say so.

“I’m seriously considering leaving the Resistance, just so you know.”   


“No, you’re not,” Jess replied, not looking up from the engine she was tinkering with.

Poe sighed. “Why does no one ever believe my empty threats?”

Jess snorted. “You just answered your own question.”

“Yeah, but I feel like I really commit when I deliver them, you know?”

“Oh yeah. A for effort, Poe.”

Poe sighed, sitting down to lean against the landing gear of Jess’s X-Wing. He sat there, quietly pouting, until Jess let out an exasperated huff and sat down next to him, tossing her wrench on the ground. “Alright, lay it on me. Why are you hypothetically leaving the Resistance?”

He let out a groan, leaning over and resting his head on her lap. Perhaps his sulking was a bit childish, but in all honesty he felt that it was more than justified. “The General is gonna have a documentary crew follow me around the base for a week.”

The bark of laughter Jess let out was loud enough that several people stopped what they were doing to stare at the pair of them. What a terrible friend. “Okay, but really. What is it?”

Poe didn’t answer.

This time Jess dissolved into a giggle fit that lasted a good five minutes. “If you keep laughing at me, I’ll make them interview you every day they’re here.”

  
  


*********

 

_ Commander Poe Dameron, 32, sits in front of the camera, his handsome face twisted in an uncomfortable grimace. _

_ “So...do I just talk?” _

_ A voice off screen responds encouragingly. “Yup, just like that Commander Dameron. How about you introduce yourself?” _

_ Dameron shifts in his chair. “Okay. Hi? I’m Poe Dameron.” _

_ There is a pause. “...would you like to expand on that?” _

_ “Oh - sorry. I haven’t really done this before. What would you like to know? I was a pilot in the Republic Starfleet for about ten years, and I left to join the Resistance about four years ago.” _

_ “Why did you leave?” The voice asks. _

_ “Well, the way I see it, there comes a time where what’s right, what’s important, has to outweigh your sense of duty. Maybe that’s a little idealistic, but...that’s what I believe.” _

_ “Tell us a bit about what we’re doing here.” _

_ “Isn’t that your job?” Dameron responds, chuckling nervously. “Uh - General Organa thinks it would be a good idea to let you guys see what really goes on here. You know, to humanize us a bit. We’re not some faceless entity fighting the First Order, we’re just people trying to do the right thing. The only one of us anyone really knows is General Organa, and at this point people see her as more of a legend than a person.” _

_ “So why have you been chosen as the subject of this documentary?” _

_ At this, Dameron genuinely laughs. “Of all the people who were at Starkiller Base, the General thought I was the one least likely to punch anyone after a few days.” _

_ “Not because you’re widely considered to be the hero of the Battle on Starkiller?” _

_ Dameron’s smile falls, and he looks down at his hands in his lap. “ I did make the final run, but doesn’t make me the unequivocal hero. There were over thirty pilots at Starkiller, and people on the ground. We lost good people - some who were under my command, who I was responsible for - during that battle. The way I see it, every person who puts themselves on the line for even the chance to stop the First Order is a hero.” _

_ “Including you?” _

_ Dameron pauses, still not looking at the camera. “The fact that people are saying I’m a hero doesn’t automatically make me one,” he responds, quietly. He stands slowly, glancing at the camera. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend.” _

_ Once he’s out of the room, the voice from off camera speaks again. “People are going to kriffing love him.” _

  
  


********

 

It had gone something like this:

Lando Calrissian had contacted General Organa, telling her about news networks that were expressing interest in documenting the resistance movement. She took one of the companies up on their offer, and Snap had been sent to retrieve the crew and director while she briefed the masses. 

Most had understood what the General was trying to do by inviting the network: it was one thing to know what the Resistance stood for; it was another thing entirely to know the people behind to movement, to see what they were sacrificing for their cause. 

There was, of course, some level of secrecy that needed to be maintained, and so many areas of the base would be closed off from the camera crew, and, should they appear in the background of a shot, the faces of certain Resistance members would be blurred. 

Poe would do anything for the General, but he had been more than hesitant to have a camera crew follow him around, to have possibly millions of people watching him, judging him.

Still, he was a soldier, and he would follow orders. 

  
  


***********

 

_ Dameron is walking over to a group of pilots on the landing bay, all laughing companionably. He grins, running over and leaping onto the back of a younger pilot, a pretty asian woman.  _

_ “Testor!” he cries, cackling as the woman flails around in surprise at the sudden attack. _

_ “Damn it, Dameron! Get off me!” she yells, without any real heat behind her words.  _

_ “What kind of commander would I be if I didn’t prepare you for all kinds of attacks? Constant vigilance, Pava!” he yells, hopping off her back.  _

_ “Oh, go jump in bantha shit,” She laughs. The woman, Pava, turns around to face him, smiling, when she freezes. She’s noticed the camera. “Uh - I mean - yes sir, Commander.” _

_ “Why are you calling me - oh,” Dameron looks back at the camera. “I forgot you guys were there. Guess I’ll have to get used to that. I promise, I’m usually the picture of professionalism.” Pava and some of the other pilots snort behind him. He shoots them a glare. “Hey gang, why don’t we show Mr. Spiegel and his crew some training exercises? You know, so they don’t think we’re just a bunch of hotshot pilots who don’t do shit.” _

_ The camera follows the pilots as they take off and begin their complicated flight exercises. It focuses especially on the black X-Wing, Dameron’s, as it soars through the intricate maneuvers seamlessly.  _

_ The voice of one of the crew members is heard off camera. “Wow.” _

  
  


********

 

“So I guess this means you’re done with covert ops?” 

Poe sighed, pushing his food around his plate with his fork. “Apparently, too many First Order officers know my face after the Finalizer. Besides, it’s not like fighter pilots generally do that much undercover work anyway. That’s why she gave you guys the okay to be in the documentary.”

“What about Finn?”

“I guess he could do covert ops. He certainly knows enough about the First Order to slip by unnoticed,” Poe felt his chest seize up at the thought of Finn out on an undercover mission, on his own - “I mean, not that he should. He should focus on healing, and staying safe. Staying safe here. At the base. Where there are no blasters aimed at him. Or lightsabers.”

“I was asking if he’s going to be in the documentary, Poe,” Jess said with a smirk. 

“Oh. I don’t know. If I had my way, he’d be the focus of this stupid project. I mean, when you think about what he’s done, what he’s risked - ”

“Poe, if you go off on another diatribe about how brave and noble Finn is, I will throw these mashed potatoes at you. I’m pretty sure Snap and Iolo will throw in some carrots and peas as well.”

  
  


********  
  


 

_ Kare Kun, 29, sits in front of the camera. “Poe’s awesome. He’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Sure, he’s our commanding officer, but he doesn’t let it go to his head. He treats us like his equals, which is great. He has a lot of respect for us, and it’s definitely mutual.” _

_ Cut to Snap Wexley, 40. He’s laughing. “ - so Poe puts his blaster down and walks up to this guy - who is still, by the way, spouting out this fascist First Order bullshit - winks at the kid he’s holding hostage, and kicks him right in the balls. And that was the moment I decided Poe was alright.” _

_ Next is Iolo Arana, 44. “Well, he’s a great pilot, you’ve seen that, so I definitely have a professional admiration for him. But he’s a good guy, too, and a real team player. But for the love of Force, don’t let him talk about General Organa. You’ll be stuck listening to him for hours.” _

_ Last, Jessika Pava, 30. “Are you kidding? Poe’s a total loser. Don’t let him fool you. He may be suave and smooth in the cockpit, but in real life he’s just a Leia Organa fanboy with a soft spot for tiny droids and ex-Stormtroopers -” _

_ The director interrupts her. “Ex-Stormtroopers?” _

  
  


********

  
  


Poe turned to Spiegel and the crew. “Alright, so here’s the deal. I’m going to see my friend Finn in the infirmary and help him with his physical therapy. I do it whenever I can, and it’s probably not going to be very exciting, cinematically speaking. You might be better off  just going back to doing interviews. You’re welcome to come, but you’re gonna have to stay back: I don’t want anything to distract Finn from his PT, okay?”

They all nodded, and Poe headed toward the infirmary, waving at the people he passed and trying desperately to ignore the four people following him. His endeavor wasn’t helped by every single person staring at the camera crew intently as they walked by.

Finn was among the people who stared when he walked in. “Hey Poe. Hello...other people.”

“Finn, this is Mr. Spiegel and his camera crew. Mr. Spiegel and his camera crew, this is Finn.”

They exchanged awkward nods, before Spiegel opened his mouth, presumably to ask Finn a question. Poe hastily cut him off, running over to help Finn out of his bed and into his wheelchair. 

“Well, we’d better be off, places to go, therapy to do…” He wheeled Finn toward the training facility a bit more briskly than he usually did, the younger man looking up at him bemusedly. 

“You really don’t like this, do you?”

“What makes you think so? Is it my extremely stressed body language, or the uncomfortable look permanently fixed on my face?”   


Finn laughed. “It’s not that bad, Poe. They’re keeping their distance, at least.”

“Yeah,  _ right now _ , because I told them to. The cameraman followed me into the bathroom this morning. To ask questions while I was brushing my teeth.”

“Were they about dental hygiene?”

Poe just sent Finn an unimpressed glare as they arrived at the facility. Poe wheeled him over to the parallel bars they used to work on his walking. The film crew walked in a few moments later, sitting politely on one of the benches along the wall, a fair distance from the two men.

Finn stood up with a small grunt, placing his hands on each bar as he began to walk himself across the short distance. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal. They want to tell people about the hero who blew up Starkiller.”

Poe laughed. “Says the guy who broke through years of brainwashing, saved my life, saved  _ BB’s _ life, helped us infiltrate Starkiller, and who faced Kylo Ren head on in a lightsaber battle.”

“Yeah, I faced Kylo Ren. For about five minutes. It was R - ” Finn paused. He’d clearly been briefed by the General: they’d been advised not to mention Rey, wanting to keep her under the radar (“More like REYdar, am I right, General?” “Shut up, Poe.”). No one wanted anyone to go looking for Rey if she was mentioned.

“Hey, you did better than me,” Poe joked, chuckling half-heartedly. “I lasted what, two minutes, tops?”

Finn stopped walking. “Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that. You know it wasn’t your fault,” Poe sighed in response, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Finn threw him a sympathetic look. “Nightmares?”

“Oh yeah. He dug up a lot of unpleasant memories when he was messing around in there. I keep seeing his stupid mask everywhere, too.”

“R- My friend says she has the same problem. It’s not just you.”

“Still - if those guys knew who they were really filming, if they knew their  _ hero _ ,” he spat the word out like it was a curse, “was really a  _ traitor _ , they wouldn’t be so forgiving.”

Finn smacked him upside the head. Poe let out an outraged squawk as Finn wobbled dangerously, having given up his precarious balance to hit Poe. He fell forward, his stomach hitting one of the bars with a winded ‘oof’.

“See? Look what you did. You were being stupid, and I had to give up sure footing so I could tell you so.”

“You didn’t call me stupid, you  _ hit me _ .”

“Semantics,” Finn said, smirking. “Don’t call yourself a traitor, Poe. For one thing, it isn’t true, and for another, that’s my thing. Don’t take my thing.”

Poe grinned. “That’s right, I almost forgot. How did he say it again?”

Finn screwed his face up into the angriest imitation of Kylo Ren he could, before shouting in a loud, whiny voice: “TRAITOR!”

The camera crew in the corner jumped, and Poe cackled, leaning against Finn in his mirth. Finn smiled apologetically at the crew, before poking at Poe. “All right, hotshot. Help me up. You’ve gotten me off track here.”

Poe helped Finn straighten up on the bars. “Honestly, how did you hold yourself up for so long without at least shaking? You were putting like, no weight on your legs while we were talking.”

“Oh, you know me, Poe. I gotta keep this guns in tip top shape,” Finn grinned, lifting an arm to flex his muscles. Poe tried not to drool. He had no idea if he was successful. 

Poe always enjoyed spending time with Finn, but he especially loved these physical therapy sessions. He stepped back, admiring the curve of Finn’s back, his broad shoulders, his strong arms, his ass...Yeah. Poe  _ loved _ these sessions.

As he helped Finn back into his chair and toward his room, Poe missed Spiegel and his producer’s widening eyes and shocked faces as they played back the audio from Poe’s microphone. 

The microphone that had been pinned to Poe’s clothes for the entire day.

The microphone that Poe had completely forgotten about.

  
  


*************

  
  


_ General Leia Organa, 59, sits before the camera. She is outraged. “He said what?” _

_ “Commander Dameron called himself a traitor. We were wondering if you could clarify this for us?” The director’s voice sounds puzzled. _

_ “I’m going to murder him,” Organa says, standing up to leave the room. The focus of the camera shifts around frantically as the cameraman scrambles to follow her. The camera shakes as the he tries to keep up with her brisk walk. Organa is grumbling angrily to herself the whole way, the microphone only picking up bits and pieces. “Stupid flyboy - self-sacrificing - idiot - emotionally constipated - if he’d have just - whoop his ass -” _

_ Organa finally stops in front of the entrance to Dameron’s quarters. The cameraman is panting heavily behind her. She bangs on the door, loudly. “Poe Dameron, I know you’re in there! Open the door before I get BB-8 to break in for me!” _

  
  


***********

  
  


“Poe Dameron, I know you’re in there! Open the door before I get BB-8 to break in for me!”

Poe looked up from his data padd, perplexed. Why was the General here so late? Why did she sound so angry? He walked over to the door, opening it hesitantly. There was the General, tiny and scowling, and behind her - Spiegel and his crew. This could not be good. 

“General - what? It’s almost midnight, is everything - ” he paused, his eyes widening. “Did something happen to Finn? Is he okay?”

She rolled her eyes - which, honestly could mean anything - before shouldering her way past him and into his rooms. “Put some clothes on, Poe, we’re in for the long haul."

Poe froze, looking down at himself, in his bright orange underwear, and back at the camera. He felt his cheeks flush hotly as he moved his hands to cover himself. He went to get some sweatpants and an old shirt out of his drawers, shooting the General nervous looks as he did so. She looked like an angry statue, sitting on his desk chair and waiting impatiently.

He turned and sat on his bed awkwardly, hyper-aware of the cameraman sitting on his dresser. 

“So you’re a traitor now, are you?”

Poe started, staring at the General in shock. “I - what - how did - ?”

“You’ve been wearing a mic for the past three days, idiot. It picked up your little chat with Finn. What, did you forget it was there?”

Yes, actually. 

“Honestly, Poe, why in the name of the Force would you say something like that? I don’t - “

“Because it’s true,” Poe answered, quietly. He was pointedly not looking at the General or the camera. “It’s true, and you know it.”

Leia was deadly silent, and Poe couldn’t bear to raise his eyes and see the look on her face. 

“You all must be thinking it. How could you not? I gave you up. I told Kylo Ren where the map was, where BB was. I  _ betrayed _ you all.”

Poe jumped as the cameraman cleared this throat. “Do you want me to leave…?”

Poe shook his head, laughing humorlessly. “Might as well get this documented, don’t you think? Make sure the galaxy knows who the  _ real _ heroes are here.”

“Poe…”

“And the whole time I was on the Finalizer, all I could think about was how disappointed you would be. I’ve heard the stories, I know about your time on the Death Star. You held out against Darth Vader’s interrogations for over a week, and I couldn’t even make it ten minutes against Ren. I tried so hard, Leia. I tried so hard to be brave, to be strong for you, and I’m so, so sorry, I  - ” Poe could hear his voice cracking, so he cut himself off. He was already dangerously close to crying, and he refused to cry on camera. He was choked up enough already: that should be enough entertainment.

He felt the mattress dip, and a small hand covered his gently. “Poe, you are too honorable for your own good.”

Poe glanced up at Leia, brow furrowed. She smiled softly.

“I was able to withstand Vader because I’m Force sensitive. You’re about as Force sensitive as my left shoe.”

“But - BB, I didn’t - ”

“He invaded your mind, Poe. He didn’t break your fingers or electrocute you: he tortured you from the inside out. You didn’t willingly or intentionally tell him anything. He took it from you. There was nothing you could have done.”

“I’m so sorry Leia, I - ”

Leia rolled her eyes in exasperation. “For Force’s sake, Poe, stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry  _ for _ .”

Poe sighed, covering his face with his hands. Leia’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to the older woman. He rested his head on her shoulder, exhausted. He could feel his throat going tight, and his eyes were stinging, but he was determined not to cry in front of that damned camera. He had  _ some _ pride, after all.

Of course, this was when Leia put the final nail in the proverbial coffin.

“You’re a hero, Poe Dameron, whether you like it or not. And I’m so proud of you. Your mother would be, too, you know.”

And that was it: the floodgates were open, and he was a sobbing mess, clutching onto Leia as she pulled him into a tight embrace. So much for dignity. She held him for some time, and when he finally pulled back, sniffling wetly, the cameraman (Poe thought his name might be Ed?) had left, seemingly giving the two of them some privacy. 

“Oh great, my emotional breakdown will be forever immortalized on film.”

Leia laughed. “Well, at least you can look back at the tapes if you’re ever feeling particularly masochistic.”

  
  


*************

 

_ “General Organa mentioned your mother the other night - is she a pilot as well?” _

_ Dameron grimaces at the reminder of his emotional evening with Organa, embarrassed. “So we’re talking about this then? Great,” he sighs, running his hand over his face. “Still, it’s not like talking about my mom is a hardship, even if she came up under...uh...undignified circumstances. Yeah, she was a pilot.” _

_ “Was?” The director’s voice prompts. _

_ “She died. When I was eight,” Dameron responds, his eyes glancing away from the camera briefly. _

_ “But not before she passed on her love of flying, evidently.” _

_ Dameron smiles softly. “I was so young when she died - there’s a lot I don’t remember about her. But I do remember sitting in her lap in the cockpit of her old A-Wing as she circled a nearby moon, letting me think I was the one doing all the heavy lifting. I still have her old helmet, actually,” Dameron gets up from where he’s sitting at his desk and moves toward the small ledge at the window in his quarters, carefully picking up an old, green, battered helmet. “I used to run around with it on my head when I was little. Now it wouldn’t even fit.” _

_ “And General Organa knew her?” _

_ “Yeah. She knew Luke Skywalker and General Solo as well. They fought together in the Rebellion. That’s how my parents met, actually. So I suppose I owe my existence to the Emperor, in a way,” Dameron and a few of the crew members chuckle.  _

_ “So you’re following in their footsteps, in a way, by fighting for the Resistance.” _

_ Dameron shrugs. “I wouldn’t want all the struggles they went through during the Rebellion to be for nothing, you know? It’s kind of like preserving their legacy, in a way. They helped save us from the Empire, and I’m fighting to keep that freedom,” he laughs, suddenly. “If my mom ever met Snoke, she’d punch him right in his stupid face. And my dad would be right behind her, kicking him in the balls.” _

_ The door slides open. The camera turns to a small astromech droid roll roll up to Dameron, nudging his leg softly. He beams, reaching over to rub the droid’s head fondly. “Hey BB. Is it about that time?” _

_ The droid beeps in the affirmative. _

_ “Alright buddy, just let me finish this interview, alright?” _

_ The droid starts whirring and whistling insistently, and Dameron rolls his eyes. He turns to the camera. “Sorry guys, it looks like I’ve gotta wrap it up for the night. BB’s gotta go down to the hangar get some tune-ups, and we always read a book before they power down. You understand, right?” _

_ He doesn’t wait for a response, standing up and walking out of the room with the droid trailing behind him. His microphone picks up their chatter as they head out.  _

_ “So what are we going to read tonight?” _

_ BB-8 chirps excitedly. _

_ “Jar Jar Binks and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?” Dameron groans. “BB, we’ve read that a million times!” _

_ A few of the crew members sigh dreamily from behind the camera. The director laughs.  _

_ “Alright gang, stop swooning. It’s a lost cause, anyway: we all know he’s a sucker for that Stormtrooper.” _

  
  


***********

  
  


Poe was in the middle of introducing the crew to Admiral Ackbar when BB-8 burst into the room, rolling into him with such force that he fell right on his ass. 

Poe glared at his astromech. “What the kriff, BB?”

The whirrs and beeps he got in response were so hurried and excited that it took a few moments for Poe to register what BB was saying. 

Finn was walking? On his own?

Poe leapt to his feet and without sparing Ackbar or the camera crew a second glance ran to the infirmary. He skidded into a halt, however, well before he reached the infirmary. There was Finn, leaning against the wall of the hallway, looking for all the world as if he hadn’t been mostly bedridden for the past two months, smirking at him. 

“Going somewhere?” 

Poe laughed joyously, running back over to hug Finn tightly. He stepped back to get a better look, still not believing his eyes. “I don’t - I mean, I knew you were going to make a full recovery, but - ”

Finn grinned, turning around and lifting his shirt. 

Poe stared. “Uh…”

Finn glanced over his shoulder, frowning softly. “Can you not see them?” he asked, before - sweet Force - pushing the waistline of his pants down slightly.

See what? See the beautiful curve of his back? See the rich brown of his skin? See the swell of his lower back, leading down to his -

The point was - Poe was a bit distracted.

Although - Poe looked more closely at the scar on Finn’s back. There was a strange metallic glint to it. “Cybernetic implants?”

Finn nodded. “Just until my body’s completely done healing.”

Poe reached out to run his hands along Finn’s strong back, along the scar, his fingers catching on the small bumps of the new tech. Finn shivered slightly, presumably because of Poe’s cold hands. He could have sworn Finn was pressing back into his touch, but surely that couldn’t mean - 

It was at this moment that the camera crew caught up to him. Poe sprang back from Finn as if he’d been burned, while the other man hastily pulled his shirt back down. Poe looked over at Spiegel and the crew, attempting to play off the fact that he’d just been caught on camera essentially groping his friend. 

“Guys, look! Finn can walk!”

The crew, thank the Force, elected to politely go along with Poe, walking over to congratulate Finn on his recovery. Poe watched fondly as he chatted with the cameraman (Edmund? Edward? It was too late at this point to ask). He’d meant it when he’d told Jess that Finn should have been the focus of this film. Who could ask for a better hero for their story? He was certainly more interesting than Poe, that was for sure. And the galaxy wouldn’t get a chance to fall in love with Finn the way Poe (and the rest of the Resistance) had… although….

“Hey, Finn, why don’t we all go for a nice, long walk? You can stretch your legs, and we can tell Spiegel and the crew all about that time you saved the entire Resistance.”

  
  


************

 

_ The director asks a question from off camera: “So...is Commander Dameron in love with Finn?” _

_ The documentary cuts from person to person as they answer the question individually. _

_ Jessika Pava, 30, snorts at the question: “Is Poe in love with Finn? Does an Ewok shit in the woods?” _

_ Snap Wexley, 40: “Oh yeah. Of course he is. Was it not obvious to you?” _

_ Iolo Arana, 44: “It’s like, one of the constants in the universe: There’s sand on Tatooine; space is big; Poe’s in love with Finn. _

_ Leia Organa, 59: “... I knew it.” _

 

_ Cut to Finn, age unknown, laughing genially.  _

 

_ “So would you say Commander Dameron is your closest friend here?” _ _  
_

_ Finn nods, still smiling. “Definitely. I mean, I love everyone here, but Poe was my first real friend, you know? Besides, he visited me every day while I was bedridden: we had a lot of time to get to know each other.” _

_ “So him being in love with you doesn’t cause any uncomfortable tension? _

_ Finn’s smile falls, his mouth gaping open, eyes widening. There is a pregnant pause. _

_ “Did - did you not know?” The director asks after a time, awkwardly. “We were led to believe it’s common knowledge on the base.” _

_ Finn doesn’t answer, leaping out of his chair and out of the room, walking as quickly as his recovering spine will allow him. He stops once, to ask a passing pilot where they had seen Dameron last.  _

_ Cut to Finn standing just outside the base, scanning the bustling landing strip in search of Dameron.  _

_ Finn gives up on just looking. “Poe!” he calls, loud enough to be heard over the chatter of pilots, engineers, droids, and other military personnel. Dameron’s head pops out over his black X-Wing, grinning widely from where he is standing on a tall ladder, cleaning the windscreen of the cockpit. _

_ “Finn! Buddy!” he yells with a smile, hopping down and walking over.  _

_ Finn meets Dameron halfway, and pulls him into a kiss. Dameron’s eyes widen comically, his hands reaching up to fist uselessly in Finn’s shirt. The commotion on the base stops, all eyes on the two men. Finn pulls back, glowering at a dazed Dameron.  _

_ “I love you, idiot. And, apparently, you love me too. So, now I’m going to kiss you again.”  _

_ A wide grin spreads across Dameron’s face as he throws himself at Finn, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s neck. As the two men kiss, the small crowd watching the pair bursts into whoops and cheers and applause, Dameron’s co-pilots loudest of all. _

_ The two men pull apart, and the camera closes in on Dameron’s beaming face, his eyes shining with unshed tears. As Dameron rests his forehead against Finn’s the screen slowly fades to black. _

  
  


****************

  
  


Months later, the General was sent an advanced copy of the documentary for review, to ensure that there were no faces to be censored or scenes that needed to be cut for security reasons. Naturally, Jess and Snap got their hands on it as soon as she was finished. 

When Poe saw the working title of the film, he burst out laughing. 

“ _ Love in the Time of Rebellion _ ? I’m pretty sure there’s a trashy romance novel about Han and the General with that name.” 

Finn smirked. “I call dibs on being Princess Leia.”

Poe let out an outraged yell while Jess, Snap, and Kare all cackled. “You can’t just  _ call dibs _ on being Princess Leia! If anything,  _ I’m _ Princess Leia!”

Finn just laughed, grabbing Poe’s hand as they walked toward his quarters to watch the film with the others. 

“Finn, come on! A snarky rebel, captured by the Empire who falls for her rescuer? I’m totally Princess Leia! Don’t you want to be Han? A dashing scoundrel?”

“Leia’s the coolest. That’s why I called dibs.”

“I know! That’s why  _ I _ want to be Leia!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> what are you talking about? spike spiegel isn't dead, he's on D'Qar, filming a documentary for Lando
> 
> i'm on [tumblr](https://senatorgana.tumblr.com)!!!


End file.
